News:

Good day, denizens of OC.net! Per our tradition, the forum will shut down for Clean Monday, beginning around 9pm Sunday evening (2/18) and ending around 9pm Monday evening (2/19). In the spirit of the coming Forgiveness Sunday, I ask you to forgive me for the sins I have committed against you. At the end of Great and Holy Week, the Forum will also shut down for Holy Friday and Holy Saturday (times TBA).

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain.

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church. The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain.

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church. The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Irenaeus (great name, by the way!),

Check out this website. It is the site of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It will document for you every Ecumenical Patriarch back to the Apostle Andrew.

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain.

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church. The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

There are two ways to view succession. One is succession by ordination and the other is succession by Episcopal See. The one you show of the Catholics having Saint Peter and the Coptics having Saint Mark are examples of succession by Episcopal See. Another way is by ordination. A Bishop can link his Apostolic Succession via ordination - so Bishop A was ordained by Bishop B (three Bishops are required to ordain a Bishop, but this example is for simplicity); and Bishop B was ordained by Bishop C and Bishop C was ordained....was ordained by Saint Peter was ordained by Jesus Christ. Every Bishop - Catholic or Orthodox - can link his ordination back to Jesus Christ.

Hope this helps.

Logged

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

All bishops have apostolic succession. and can ultimately be traced back to an apostle(s). There are also cities whose Church have been found by apostles or by bishops appointed by an apostle. If those Churches have a bishopric, that bishop is recognized as the successor of its first bishop. St Mark is considered the first bishop of the See of Alexandria. This includes both the Coptic Patriarch and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria.

The E.P. is the successor of St. Andrew. The Antiochan See is that of St Peter the Apostle.The Jerusalem See is that of St James, brother of the Lord.The Church of Cyprus is that of St. Barnabas (Acts 4.36)The Church of Greece (Archbishop of Athens) is the successor of Dionysios the Areopagite (Acts 17.34)